Exclusive Interview: Lawson

The success for this fresh foursome is clearly on-going. The up and coming band Lawson are new on the music scene and will no doubt be in the public eye for a long, long time. After supporting tours from the likes of The Wanted, Will Young and Avril Lavigne, the boys have already created themselves a vast fan base and a strong support system. We caught up with bass player Ryan Fletcher to see what Lawson are all about!Not only is it the generic boyband style that attracts many fans to the band, but also the sound they produce. “We create a guitar edge to pop and we kind of just go for it when we’re playing! I’d say we’re a mix between Ed Sheeran and One Republic.” Ryan tells us. The band’s frontman, Andy Brown, brought the band together through MySpace messages to drummer Adam Pitts and added Ryan to the equation after meeting at a previous audition. The sparks were there but it “just needed the edge”. This came in the form of guitarist Joel Peats. “We all got on straightaway. I think it was because we were such good mates, so we’ve stuck together ever since” says Ryan. Now they were set, a force to be reckoned with: Lawson was born. They have strived for success since then. Putting YouTube videos up regularly of songs they’d covered and doing anything to get their name out there, Ryan explains “Social media plays a big part in getting recognition.” Now it’s safe to say the hard work and effort has paid off! Recently signed to Polydor, the same record label as artists such as Lady Gaga, Take That and Guns N’ Roses, Lawson are expected to be the next big thing – and we’re confident they will be! The band’s debut single ‘When She Was Mine’ is released on May 27. Despite the lyrical focus on lead singer Andy Brown’s heartache, the song consists of an upbeat rhythm and shows off some impressive vocals. “Hearing our own track being played on the radio is mental. When I’m getting ready in the morning and it comes on, I can never believe it’s us.”While recording the album in LA, the boys encountered the presence of several famous faces in their studio. “We had Justin Bieber and Drake in the studios next to us – it just didn’t feel real! LA was an incredible experience, we loved it.” starstruck Ryan explains, “we spoke to Jon Bon Jovi and he wished us good luck for our album – it was really cool! We didn’t even know what to say to him, we were all speechless.” So what can we expect from the album? “To be honest, it’s the album we were waiting for a band to bring out! You only get one first album, so it had to sound just how we wanted it to.” The future is looking positive for him and his band mates: “This time next year we’d like to have experienced a sell-out theatre tour and maybe a top ten album. As a band we have high hopes and we dream big!”After a full UK arena tour supporting The Wanted, the band have gone to bigger and better things – their own headline shows. They’re heading to seven cities across the UK this month and the tickets are selling fast. On May 31, Lawson will be ending their tour at a sold out show in Birmingham’s HMV Institute. “It doesn’t feel real that we’ve sold out three dates on our own tour. Whenever someone say’s it to me I just can’t believe it – it’s crazy!” The over-whelmed bass player goes on to tell us about the bands previous experiences in Birmingham. “Ah we love the city! The crowd in Birmingham are crazy and always go mental for us. We can’t wait to come back!”